Franklin Resources Inc. Raises Stake in Humana Inc. $HUM

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) by 7.9% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 155,262 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,423 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Humana were worth $37,958,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HUM. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Humana in the 4th quarter valued at $202,000. Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in Humana in the 1st quarter valued at $443,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its position in Humana by 31.7% in the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,425 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $642,000 after purchasing an additional 583 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Humana by 12.0% during the first quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,776 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $999,000 after purchasing an additional 406 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in shares of Humana by 1.4% in the first quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 54,488 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $14,418,000 after buying an additional 750 shares during the period. 92.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Humana Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of NYSE:HUM opened at $245.73 on Thursday. Humana Inc. has a 12-month low of $206.87 and a 12-month high of $315.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $29.55 billion, a PE ratio of 18.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $263.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $256.78.

Humana (NYSE:HUM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The insurance provider reported $3.24 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.95 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $32.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.99 billion. Humana had a net margin of 1.28% and a return on equity of 13.67%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.16 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Humana Inc. will post 16.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Humana Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th will be issued a $0.885 dividend. This represents a $3.54 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 26th. Humana’s payout ratio is currently 33.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HUM has been the topic of several analyst reports. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Humana in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Humana from $300.00 to $285.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Humana from $290.00 to $277.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Humana from $245.00 to $234.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Humana in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $295.94.

Humana Profile

Humana Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides medical and specialty insurance products in the United States. It operates through two segments, Insurance and CenterWell. The company offers medical and supplemental benefit plans to individuals. It has a contract with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to administer the Limited Income Newly Eligible Transition prescription drug plan program; and contracts with various states to provide Medicaid, dual eligible, and long-term support services benefits.